Bridging the Skills Gap in Bangladesh: What NeXgen Global Group is Doing

A significant skills gap in Bangladesh is affecting both education and the job market, posing a threat to the country’s socioeconomic progress. Rapid technological advancements and evolving job markets have created a mismatch between what students are learning and what employers need. Essential skills like communication and English proficiency are in high demand, yet many graduates fall short. Numeracy and mathematical skills are also lacking, particularly in crucial sectors such as agro-food, readymade garments (RMG), and IT. For example, the RMG sector alone faces a 47.83% skills gap in woven industries and a staggering 68.79% in knitting. This shortage forces companies to rely on foreign experts, costing Bangladesh between $5-6 billion annually.

The economic impact is severe.Youth employment in Bangladesh is at stake With 65% of the working-age population underutilized, the youth unemployment rate stands at 10.6%, significantly higher than the national average of 4.6%. This youth unemployment and skills mismatch in Bangladesh results in economic stagnation, operational inefficiencies, and reduced innovation. To overcome these challenges and ensure sustainable growth, it’s crucial to address these gaps with improved education and training.

NeXgen Global Group is taking significant steps to tackle this issue. Their approach focuses on bridging the Skills gap in Bangladesh through a comprehensive strategy that includes enhancing education quality, vocational training, and recruiting global talent. NeXgen Global emphasizes practical, industry-relevant education, developing curricula tailored to high-demand sectors like IT, agro-food, and RMG. By aligning educational programs with market needs, they are ensuring that students acquire skills directly applicable in today’s job market.

Through their dedicated efforts and key brands, NeXgen Global Group is not only preparing individuals for successful careers but also contributing to the broader growth of Bangladesh’s workforce and economy. Their commitment to addressing the skills gap is vital for driving meaningful progress and creating a more prosperous future for the country.

Understanding the Skills Gap

A skills gap occurs when there’s a difference between the skills required for a job and the skills that employees currently possess. This mismatch can cause challenges for both employers and employees. Employers may struggle to find qualified candidates, while employees might find it difficult to perform their roles effectively. As technology and job requirements rapidly evolve, keeping skills up-to-date is crucial. 

The Existing Skill Gap In Bangladesh

What’s Causing it in Bangladesh

Addressing these gaps through training and development is essential for enhancing productivity and maintaining a competitive edge. Here’s a look at the factors contributing to the skills gap in Bangladesh:

• Inadequate Internship Duration: Many graduates, especially in industries like textiles, face challenges due to short internships. For instance, a two-month internship is often not enough compared to the six months needed for gaining practical experience.
• Outdated Curriculum: The education system, including vocational and technical institutions, often doesn’t match current industry needs. As a result, graduates lack practical knowledge relevant to today’s job market.
• Industry-Academia Disconnect: There’s a significant gap between what’s taught in academia and what industries actually require. This disconnect contributes to high educated unemployment and an over-reliance on foreign workers.
• Skills Mismatch: Many employers, around 46%, find it difficult to locate candidates with the right skills. Key areas where skills are lacking include communication, problem-solving, leadership, and technical expertise.
• Limited Quality Education: Vocational and technical education often fails to meet modern industry demands. Issues like high teacher-to-student ratios and insufficient practical training contribute to this problem.
• English Proficiency Issues: Low levels of English proficiency in Bangladesh impact employability. The country ranks lower in English skills compared to its neighbors, affecting graduates’ competitiveness on a global scale.
• Government and Industry Collaboration: Efforts to bridge the skills gap through collaborations between industry and academia often fall short. Many initiatives fail due to a lack of support from educational institutions.
• Ineffectiveness of TVET Programs: Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs often do not align with market demands, leading to high unemployment rates among graduates.
• Undereducation: Many young workers are undereducated for their jobs, especially in fields like agriculture, fisheries, and trade. Despite improvements in primary and secondary education, educational attainment remains insufficient.
• Mismatch in Education and Job Requirements: A large percentage of young managers, professionals, and technicians are undereducated for their roles, reflecting a significant gap in middle-management levels.
• Unemployment Among the Educated: Higher education levels are associated with higher unemployment rates. Many unemployed youths point to educational inadequacies as a barrier to employment rather than a lack of job opportunities.
• Inadequate Core Educational Competencies: Even with growth in the IT sector, workers often have weak core competencies, affecting their ability to acquire job-specific skills.
• Low Returns on Education: The returns on education in Bangladesh are modest compared to international standards, highlighting a disconnect between educational attainment and job market needs.
• Poor Quality Education: Issues like low competency levels among students, ineffective teaching methods, and insufficient training for instructors impact the overall quality of education and training.

These skills training initiatives in Bangladesh focus on bridging the gap between industry requirements and the current skill set of the workforce. Through implementing comprehensive employment programs, neXgen Global is working towards creating a skilled workforce in Bangladesh. Their approach involves updating educational programs, improving hands-on training, and building partnerships between industry and schools to better prepare graduates for job market demands.

The Impact of skill gaps

A recent study found that nearly 60% of businesses are having a hard time filling positions because of skills gaps. This not only makes it tough for companies to find the right people but also prevents qualified candidates from getting jobs. Industries like retail are especially affected, needing both knowledgeable sales associates and experienced managers. The skills gap in Bangladesh is a significant issue impacting various aspects of society. Here’s a closer look at how it affects the economy, businesses, and individuals:

Economic Impact

Reduced Economic Growth

• Skills Mismatch: There’s often a disconnect between what people learn and what employers need. This mismatch slows down economic growth because industries can’t find qualified workers, which hampers productivity and innovation.
• Sectoral Imbalance: Key areas like engineering, IT, and digital commerce face shortages. This limits the potential of these sectors and holds back overall economic progress.

Increased Unemployment

• Underemployment: Many graduates end up in jobs that don’t match their skills, which means they’re not fully contributing to the economy.
• Youth Unemployment in Bangladesh: Each year, millions of young people enter the job market, but many don’t find suitable jobs. This issue is made worse by the inability of technical and vocational education institutions to keep up with demand.

Constraints That May Prevent Employees from Providing The Best Output

Economic Inequality

• Income Disparities: Without the right skills, people often end up in lower-paying jobs. This widens the income gap, as high-income roles remain unfilled while others struggle with lower wages.

Business Impact

Lower Productivity and Growth

• Operational Challenges: Companies struggle to find skilled workers, which leads to inefficiencies and higher costs. This can make it tough for them to compete both locally and globally.
• Innovation Stagnation: A lack of  skilled workforce in Bangladesh can stifle innovation and the adoption of new technologies, slowing down business growth.

Increased Training Costs

• On-the-Job Training: Businesses often have to spend extra on training new hires, which can be especially tough for smaller companies.
• Skill Shortages: The skills gap means companies must spend more on recruitment and retention, affecting their financial health.

Reduced Competitiveness:

• Global Market: Without a skilled workforce, Bangladeshi businesses may struggle to compete internationally, impacting their export potential.
• Sector-Specific Issues: Industries like IT, where staying ahead with technology is crucial, might fall behind due to a lack of skilled personnel.

Individual Impact

Limited Career Opportunities

• Employability: People with skills that don’t match market needs often find it hard to secure relevant jobs, limiting their career growth and earnings.
• Income Disparity: The skills gap in Bangladesh can lead to lower wages and job insecurity, especially for those in roles that don’t fully use their talents.

Educational Inequality

• Access to Training: Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds often have limited access to quality training, which perpetuates the skills gap and cycles of poverty.
• Quality of Education: Outdated curricula and inadequate resources can leave students unprepared for the job market.

Professional Development

• Skill Development: With limited training opportunities, individuals might struggle to gain new skills or update existing ones, affecting their career progression.
• Job Satisfaction: A mismatch between skills and job roles can lead to dissatisfaction and a lack of engagement, impacting overall well-being.

Mission to Bridge the Skills Gap

NeXgen Global Group is on a mission to address the global skills shortage, with a special focus on Bangladesh, a country grappling with a significant skills gap. This gap threatens not only the nation’s economic progress but also its potential to innovate and compete on a global scale. Here’s how NeXgen Global is tackling this challenge:

Innovative Educational Programs

NeXgen Global is transforming education to bridge the skills gap in Bangladesh. By focusing on practical, industry-relevant training, their brands like Melbourne Metropolitan College, Skills Australia and the Victorian International Institute of Technical Education (VIITE) provide vocational training and professional certifications that align with current industry needs. This approach is vital for preparing graduates to enter sectors with significant shortages, such as IT, agro-food, and construction.

Comprehensive Vocational Training

DGen Academy offers hands-on training designed to equip individuals with practical skills for the digital age. Courses like the LinkedIn Outreach Machine and Sales Funnel with Automation are crafted to meet high-demand job requirements. By offering these programs at affordable rates and including internship opportunities, DGen Academy bridges the gap between education and employment, particularly in the digital and entrepreneurial fields.

Enhancing Language and Integration Support

Language skills are a crucial part of overcoming the skills gap, especially for non-native English speakers. Langford English College addresses this need by providing high-quality English language education. This support is essential for international students, including those from Bangladesh, as it helps them integrate into their new environment and pursue further educational and professional opportunities in Australia.

Strategic Recruitment and Talent Development

Global Talent Connect, another vital part of NeXgen Global, focuses on recruiting for industries with skill shortages. Using advanced search methods and industry expertise, they match skilled professionals with high-demand roles. This not only fills critical positions but also helps develop a skilled workforce in Bangladesh that can drive industry progress and economic growth.

A key part of NeXgen Global’s strategy is fostering collaboration between industry and academia. By creating partnerships and aligning educational programs with market needs, they address the important question of how to solve the skills gap in Bangladesh through ensuring between what is taught and what is needed in the workforce. This collaboration ensures that educational offerings are both relevant and effective, preparing students for the challenges of the modern job market.

Vision for the Future

NeXgen Global Group is reshaping Bangladesh’s professional landscape through innovative education and digital advancements. Their goal is to build a vibrant professional environment where people and businesses can thrive in the digital age and help drive the country’s long-term success. Additionally, they’re bridging the skills gap in Bangladesh by modernising curricula and offering hands-on training in high-demand sectors like IT, agro-food, and construction. By partnering with international institutions, they’re bringing cutting-edge practices to local education.

Recognising the importance of digital skills, NeXgen Global is also boosting digital expertise across Bangladesh. The NeXgen Global workforce training programs and their support for digital entrepreneurs, creating hubs for technological growth and innovation to keep individuals and organisations competitive.

To address skill shortages, NeXgen Global is connecting global talent with opportunities in Bangladesh. Their recruitment strategies are focused on sourcing skilled professionals and enhancing recruitment processes to place the right people in key roles. Their initiatives are designed to drive economic growth, support career development, and continually improve educational standards.

Key Initiatives by NeXgen Global

NeXgen Global is leading the charge in changing education and digital skills. They’re updating vocational training, offering hands-on digital courses, and helping international students settle in. By focusing on practical skills and global connections, NeXgen Global is creating new opportunities and driving growth in Bangladesh and beyond.

Innovative Educational Programs

• Vocational Curriculum Development: NeXgen Global, through Skills Australia and the Victorian International Institute of Technical Education (VIITE), is leading the way in vocational education. They’re continuously updating programs to match industry demands, ensuring students get practical skills that employers need, addressing the skills gap in Bangladesh.
• Trainer Training Programs (TTP): Skills Australia offers TTP to enhance the skills of educators. These programs help trainers improve their teaching methods, leading to better vocational training and higher-quality education for students, thereby supporting skilled training initiatives in Bangladesh.

Digital Intelligence and Training

• DGen Academy Programs: DGen Academy provides hands-on digital skills training with courses like “LinkedIn Outreach Machine” and “Sales Funnel with Automation”. These programs help individuals excel in digital marketing and sales, contributing to the development of a skilled workforce in Bangladesh.
• Empowering Digital Entrepreneurs: ASHANA, NeXgen Global’s initiative, supports digital entrepreneurs by generating leads and connecting coaches with clients. The goal is to create one million leads monthly, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh, boosting the success of digital businesses and contributing to employment programs.

Support for International Students

• Academic and Social Integration: ISSA International Support Australia helps international students from Bangladesh adjust to life in Australia, offering academic and social support to enhance their experience, addressing issues of youth unemployment and skill mismatch in Bangladesh.
• Pathways to Higher Education: Melbourne Metropolitan College (MMC) provides flexible, industry-focused education and pathways for further career success, helping students prepare for both immediate and long-term career opportunities.
• Enhancing English Communication Skills: Langford English College offers comprehensive English language programs to help non-native speakers improve their English skills, which is vital for academic and professional success in the global job market, enhancing youth employment in Bangladesh through improved communication skills.

Future Plans and Goals

NeXgen Global Group is dedicated to closing the skills gap in Bangladesh through several strategic initiatives. They plan to collaborate with institutions like Skills Australia and VIITE to keep educational programs up-to-date, focusing on practical skills in IT, agro-food, and theb building & construction sector. DGen Academy will expand its digital skills courses and offer more internships, giving graduates the real-world experience they need. Langford English College will also boost its programs to improve English skills, helping non-native speakers compete better in the global job market.

Additionally, NeXgen Global will enhance talent recruitment locally and globally through Global Talent Connect, aiming to fill essential positions and build a skilled workforce. They’ll promote closer ties between educational institutions and industries to ensure that training meets market needs. By supporting digital entrepreneurs with initiatives like ASHANA and fostering technological growth, NeXgen Global hopes to drive economic progress and raise educational standards in Bangladesh.

Moving Forward

Addressing the skills gap in Bangladesh means overhauling Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by updating curricula, aligning training with industry needs, and improving connections between schools and businesses. Investing in upskilling, reskilling, and soft skills like communication and problem-solving is also crucial.

Both government and private sector efforts are key to bridging this gap. Supportive policies and community engagement can create a more skilled and adaptable workforce, benefiting the economy, businesses, and individuals.

NeXgen Global Group is actively working on this by modernising education, providing practical training, and improving language skills. Their focus on updating educational programs and supporting digital entrepreneurship is crucial for long-term economic growth in Bangladesh.

To learn more or start improving your skills, visit NeXgen Global’s official website or contact their sister concerns. Take the first step towards a brighter future with NeXgen Global.